Various types of so-called “electronic” identification documents—in particular, passports—are known, i.e. documents embedding a chip in the form of an RFID device. In such documents the chip is housed at a polycarbonate (PC) page. The latter bears ID data of the subject, also in a different and immediately readable form obtained e.g. by printing or the so-called “laser engraving”, and can anyhow be provided with encrypted elements or authentication means such as holograms and the like.
In many of the known documents, the above-mentioned polycarbonate page is connected to the remainder of the document, which is typically in the form of a booklet, by its own extension, always made of polycarbonate, having a reduced protruding region and that is sewn, at the centre line of the booklet itself, to the cover and/or the remaining pages. EP 1 380 442 and EP 1 731 328 describe documents of the hereto-mentioned type. A significant drawback of the documents described hereto is the high rigidity of the data page, making it subject to a breakage by fissuring or cracking when stressed by repeated and/or marked torsions and bendings, especially considering that said page is however inserted between further pages that are extremely more flexible.
The above rigidity also makes rather critical the connection modes for connecting the data page to the remaining parts of the booklet.
US 2008/0284155 describes instead a passport in the form of a booklet bearing a data page, the latter manufactured by two polycarbonate layers between which a flexible layer is partially interposed. The flexible layer develops past the two polycarbonate layers, forming an extension at which the data page is sewn into the booklet.
However, in this case the connection of the data page to the remainder of the document can be not very resistant.
Moreover, known identification documents can generally be optimised with regard to the possibility of a counterfeiting thereof.